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Rating:
Judged by critics and fans as Bowie's worst record, "Never Let Me Down" has sometimes been described as proof that even the greats can have catastrophic failures.
Why review it? First of all, I don't like duplicates (which in Bowie's case would be triplicates and quadruplicates), and if others have devoured the roast, all that remains for me are the bones of the broth; also, I like to find, somewhat masochistically, positive aspects even in lackluster works like these.
I must preface that only completers might feel the need to purchase this album among the 26 official records in the White Duke's discography, but in my opinion, whoever does so won’t have an infamous album in their hands.
First of all, the renewed effort as an author: after the laziness of "Let's Dance" and "Tonight", here there's the impression that he sat at a table to squeeze his brains for ten new tracks (plus a cover, for a change, of Iggy Pop), and a couple of B-sides (for completers, Julie and Girls) of a higher level than the album but inexplicably excluded from the tracklist. The result is unfortunately uniformly mediocre: if in the previous two albums the singles stood out clearly against the other filler tracks, here there is a lack of flair, a stroke of writing, a track worthy of being included in Bowie's repertoire (perhaps "Time Will Crawl" and especially "Glass Spider", a theatrical piece, chosen as the opener for subsequent concerts, are salvageable), and it’s no coincidence that after 1987 no track will be performed live again, and one of the pieces will even be omitted in subsequent reissues.
The production here is also overloaded, but at least there is an abandonment of excessive synthesizers in favor of a more rock and guitar-oriented sound. Vocally the album is varied, no longer dominated by the monotonous baritone and complacent tone, but each song has a different and, regardless of the outcomes, convinced approach; furthermore, the author gets his hands dirty again by playing various instruments. The lineup of musicians is renewed with the return of the old glory Peter Frampton on guitar, and with the introduction of Erdal Zizilcay, a talented multi-instrumentalist of Turkish origin (not exactly Brian Eno, but this is what the convent provided).
All things considered, this is a more sincere and less fashionable album than the previous two, but with utterly forgettable and less inspired tracks, and there's the impression that the author wanted, in vain, to regain centrality as a musician, abandoning the role of a global showman: the sincerity of this approach is proven by the fact that, despite the flop, the attempt will be repeated and radicalized with the experience of Tin Machine.
Tracklist Lyrics Samples and Videos
03 Beat of Your Drum (05:03)
Photograph king, watches you go
Now fashions may change, heaven knows, but you
still leave a stain on me
Only to go colours may fade
The seasons may change, weather blows, but you still leave a mark on me
Wrong-negative fades-never the twain, reckless and tame
I like the beat of your drum
I like to look in your eyes
I like to look thru your things
I'd like to beat on your drum
I like the smell of your flesh
I like the dirt that you dish
I like the clothes that you wear
I'd like to beat on your drum
I beat it I beat I beat it
I feel it
Disco brat-follow the pack
Watching you peel, heaven knows, prison can't hold all this greedy intention
Only to go-I picture you now
Music may change-hi-di-ho keen to follow your nose
Wrong-love out of tune
Sweet is the night, bright light destroys me
I like the beat of your drum
I like to look in your eyes
I like to look thru your things
I'd like to beat on your drum
I like the smell of your flesh
I like the dirt that you dish
I like the clothes that you wear
I'd like to beat on your drum
I beat it I beat Can't beat it
I feel it
I like to beat on your drum
I like to beat on your drum
I like your face in the crowd
I like to beat on your drum
I beat it I beat Can't beat it
I feel it
Can't beat it
I feel it
Ho beat it
I beat it
Oh yeah
I'd like to beat on your drum
I'd like to beat on your drum
I'd like to yell it out loud
I'd like to beat on your drum
Can't beat it can't beat it
I feel it I feel it
I'd like to beat on your drum
I'd like to beat on your drum
I'd like your face in the crowd
I'd like to beat on your drum
Yeah yeah yeah
Can't beat it
Can't beat it
I be there
Baet it all out
Beat it all in the crowd
Beat it beat it beat it beat it
I feel it I feel it
I'd like to beat on your drum
I'd like to beat on your drum
I'd like to blow your horne
I'd like to beat on your drum
Yeah yeah yeah
Ahhhhhh
05 Zeroes (05:44)
[Ladies and Gentlemen]
[Tonight, yes, the Zeroes will be singing for you!]
Yeah Yeah (x4)
You've arrived in the land of a thousand different names
And the fabulous sons have crashed their planes in flames
Now tomorrow's back claiming redemption is on your heels
And a toothless past is asking you how it feels
And me my little red Corvette has driven by
My fair weather heart has fallen in
My rainy day girl is feeling down
And she tells me that the world is spinning round
I say the dream was all for you
You're nobody else
Tonight the Zeroes were singing for you
Yeah Yeah
Yeah
Hi, can I walk you home again today
Gotta get forgive and forget hey-hey
Something good is happening I don't know what it is
Don't you know we're back on trial again today
And it's breaking wine for you
Hell it's only 'cause you're true
Someone outtimed my heart
Stopping and preaching and letting love in
You are my moon, you are my sun
Heaven knows what you are
Tonight the Zeroes are singing for you
Yes they were
Tonight the Zeroes were singing for you
Tonight the Zeroes were singing for you
Doesn't matter what you try to do
Doesn't matter what you try to do
Doesn't matter where you try to go
Doesn't matter who we really are
Doesn't matter (repeat ad lib)
Doesn't matter, doesn't matter
09 '87 and Cry (04:18)
It's just a one dollar secret A lover's secrets in the UK Torn apart in the UK In the dribble of May-Day '87 and Cry '87 and Cry And there's nothing inside And there's nothing in mind no And only you Rocket on thru the sky Well it couldn't be done without dogs Yeah it couldn't be once without us '87 and Cry '87 and Cry When the days were the days boys When blue ties were for the bigg guys Frannie dressing down for the enemy You saw him hangin' on the enemy And there's no one in love And there's nowhere to scream no And only you Race on to wonder where Well it couldn't be done without dogs It couldn't be once without us '87 and Cry '87 and Cry You can't make love with money You can't make mistakes with babies Nothing looked good on you That's how I liked you best Now you're ready for the real McCoy Deep in the heart of Cupid Murder on the heels of love Just a ghost of a story Just a one dollar secret Baby these were the sounds Baby these were the sounds And only you Whisper these things aren't true Well it couldn't be done with dogs Well it couldn't be once without us '87 and Cry '87 and Cry '87 and Cry '87 and Cry Cry Cry '87 and Cry '87 and Cry Cry Cry '87 and Cry '87 and Cry Cry Cry Cry Cry '87 and Cry Cry Cry Cry Cry '87 and Cry '87 and Cry '87 and Cry '87 and Cry Hey Hey '87 and Cry
10 Too Dizzy (03:59)
There's too much talking for a night drive
Too much mist in front of my eyes
I'm not trying to lose control
But you're just pushin' pushin' pushin'for a fight
You look trapped, turn the radio on
Too much smoke, air conditioning gone
But I'm helpless in love with you
But you're just looking looking looking for a break
Is it love or is it what
Who's this guy I'm gonna blow away hey
What kind of love is he giving you
I'm-a-dizzy's what I'm trying to say
I said
Too Dizzy-You can't have a lover
I'm too Dizzy-It's me and no other
I'm a bad loser-I'm-a-shakin' in anger
I'm a too Dizzy-you can't have no lover
You can go on dreaming every night
But I'm not letting you out of my sight
I'm-a-ten times the man than any guy around
But you're just itchin'-twitchin'-itchin' for a break
There's too much talking for a night drive
And too much mist in front of my eyes
But I'm helpless in love with you
But you're just looking looking looking for a break
Is it love or is it what
Who's this guy I'm gonna blow away
What kind of love is he giving you
I'm-a-dizzy's what I'm trying to say
I said
I'm too Dizzy-You can't have a lover
I'm too Dizzy-It's me and no other
And I'm a bad loser-I'm-a-shakin' in anger
I said too Dizzy-you can't have no lover
I said Too Dizzy
Don't come any harder
I said I'm Too Dizzy
Don't come any closer
I said I'm Too Dizzy
I said too Dizzy
Too Dizzy
Too Dizzy
Too Dizzy you can't have no lover
Too Dizzy
Too Dizzy
I'm Too Dizzy
11 Bang Bang (04:29)
Wow, this ain't the right thing to do
So, so let, so let's go
Young girls they know what they're after
Young girls don't kiss me goodbye
Rockets shooting up into space
Buildings they rise to the skies
Bang Bang I got mine
Bang Bang reach for the sky
I keep a good friend on videotape
He'll drive his sports car until it's too late
But we'll have a hot time on the town tonight
Cause love is my bet and it's the best yet
Bang Bang I got mine
Bang Bang sun don't shine
Bang Bang you all angels
Bang Bang now you all ought to be in pictures
Oh girl
Oh girl my problems can't follow me
Phone calls I take my machine
I wander lonely to the sea
Lonely-Ha Ha Ha-what does it mean
Bang Bang I got mine
Bang Bang and you are next in line
Bang Bang reach for the sky
Bang Bang sun don't shine
Rise buildings
Rise to the sky
Well young girls they know what they're after
I said, young girls don't kiss me goodbye
Bang bang
Then you close, then you should close, then you close down
You big man
Bang Bang
Spot the brack
Just come in first
Bang Bang
If praise had wings
Bang Bang
And you next in line
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By Il castigatore
I judged the album to be pretentious, and the pretext seemed to be that Glass Spider Tour.
Suddenly, everything was shrouded in magic, and every single track on the album seemed like a masterpiece.
